Vietnam attracted US$18.24 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first four months of 2026, marking a 32 percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance.

As of April 27, total registered foreign investment, including newly registered capital, adjusted capital, and capital contributions or share purchases by foreign investors, reached US$18.24 billion.

Newly registered capital accounted for 1,249 licensed projects, with a total value of US$12.15 billion. This represented a 3.7 percent increase in the number of projects and a 2.2-fold rise in registered capital compared to the same period last year.

The manufacturing and processing sector continued to dominate, attracting US$8.12 billion in newly registered investment, equivalent to 66.8 percent of the total. Electricity, gas, water supply, and air conditioning production and distribution followed with US$2.31 billion, accounting for 19 percent. Other sectors made up the remaining US$1.72 billion, or 14.2 percent.

Foreign direct investment realized in Vietnam during the period was estimated at US$7.4 billion, up 9.8 percent year-on-year.

Among 53 countries and territories with newly licensed projects, Singapore remained the largest investor with US$6.05 billion, accounting for 49.8 percent of total newly registered capital. South Korea followed with US$4.08 billion, or 33.6 percent. China contributed US$524.1 million (4.3 percent), Japan US$462 million (3.8 percent), Hong Kong (China) US$329.2 million (2.7 percent), and the Netherlands US$318.5 million (2.6 percent).

In terms of locations, Thai Nguyen continued to lead nationwide in attracting new FDI, with total newly registered capital exceeding US$5.75 billion in the first four months.

Nghe An ranked second with more than US$2.2 billion. Ho Chi Minh City placed third, attracting 656 projects with total newly registered capital of over US$983 million. Dong Nai followed with US$596 million, Bac Ninh with more than US$473 million, and Ha Tinh with over US$412 million.

Meanwhile, 316 previously licensed projects registered additional capital adjustments totaling US$3.13 billion, a decrease of 51 percent compared to the same period last year.

According to the Foreign Investment Agency, realized FDI in Vietnam during the first four months of 2026 reached an estimated US$7.40 billion, the highest level for this period in the past five years.

The manufacturing and processing sector accounted for the largest share of realized FDI at US$6.12 billion, or 82.7 percent. Real estate business activities attracted US$540.5 million, equivalent to 7.3 percent, while electricity, gas, hot water, steam, and air conditioning production and distribution reached US$270.6 million, accounting for 3.7 percent.

Vietnam’s outbound investment also showed notable growth. In the first four months of 2026, 74 new projects were granted investment certificates with total Vietnamese capital of US$691.1 million, 2.6 times higher than the same period last year. Additionally, four projects adjusted their capital with an increase of US$22.8 million, down 43.2 percent.

Nguyen Le